The Tease of Fire II: Burnt
by Soraia
Summary: Now with her soulmate, Tala Acevedo thought life was perfect. Unfortunately, the NW Council has the Fire Child and a Wild Power in their possesion. Tala and Monroe must save them, even if it means their lives.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer - The Night World, it's concepts, and it's characters, all belong to L.J. Smith. I claim nothing but the characters unrecognized and the story.

  
  


The Tease of Fire II - Burnt

  
  


Chapter One

~Prologue~

  
  


*Vacation.* Tala absolutely loved it. Of course, her vacation was just a visit to her mother's house for a week with Monroe during Valentine's Day, but she didn't have a mission. That was enough to be thankful for.

She had felt bad leaving Vesta, but Jez had promised to take good care of her while they were gone. The girls--or the Daybreak Sorority, as Tala liked to put it--were supposed to be visiting a water park that day, while Tala was just sitting on the couch, completely enjoying the basic cable and home cooked meals.

The couch itself was utterly comfortable. Circa 1960, it's blue and white flower pattern fading from the constant wear, it offered a wonderful cuddle spot. She smiled, nestling up to Monroe, feeling his protective arms grow tight around her shoulders.

The cell phone in her pocket began to vibrate, causing her to sigh in aggravation. Looking at the caller ID, she added a despairing groan. Thierry just did not know how to leave them in peace. She was seriously considering letting the voicemail get it.

"Answer it," Monroe said with a knowing glance.

"Quit reading my thoughts." Pressing the talk button, she greeted the caller. "Tala Acevedo."

"You need to come back to Las Vegas, Tala." Thierry's voice was somber and almost . . . grieved.

"Sorry, but this is the first vacation I've ever-" She stopped short. What was that in the background? It sounded like Hannah. But that couldn't be Hannah. She was always happy and smiling. Hannah wasn't the type to sob uncontrollably. "Thierry? What's wrong with Hannah?" She stood, an alarming feeling crawling up her spine. She looked at her soulmate, seeing that he had the same worry churning in his eyes.

"Come back to Vegas," Thierry's voice didn't lighten at all, "There's been a breech in security."

Everything was beginning to grow fuzzy. Not "wonderful-love" fuzzy. It was "the-world's-slipping-from-beneath-me" fuzzy. "What do you mean, 'breech in security?'"

He began to repeat himself. "You need to come back-"

"Dammit, Thierry!" She was losing her grip of reality. "What the Hell is going on?"

"Vesta was taken today at the park. So was Jez . . ."

She knew that he was going on, saying something about casualties, but she didn't hear it. The phone slipped from her hand, hitting the ground. The pieces scattering across the pine wood floor echoed in her ears. Her knees hurt. Why did her knees hurt? Oh, it was because she had landed on them.

*Why are my cheeks wet?* She reached up, touching her face. *Am I sweating? That's funny, why would I only be sweating on my cheeks?*

She put her head in her hands, letting the tears fall through her fingers, splashing onto the ground. A million and a half thoughts were crashing through her head without any direction. Nothing was organized, nothing made sense.

They had only been gone for two days. How could have this happened? A lost Wild Power . . . A lost Fire Child . . . Less than ten months until the Millennium Battle . . . Circle Daybreak was doomed . . .

Unless she did something. And she knew she had to. There was no way she'd lose the Battle. She had to save Jez and Vesta.

  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Howdy folks. Welcome to the sequel! Sorry to surprise you guys, but I felt the Vesta issue was resolved too easily, and an unnamed birdie gave me the brilliant idea of continuing the story. Other than my original, I don't have any projects lined up @ the moment. Just don't expect this to be as quickly updated as the first book, k? I'll try, but I can't promise anything. Hope this one is as good as the first, if not better.

  
  


Chapter Two

  
  


Tala couldn't believe that the earth was still moving. She rushed past people in the airport, their faces all a blur. The off-white walls and the worn down pale, green carpet blended in with them, all seeming to be imaginary objects to her. She just didn't understand how they could all be so calm, when their world was so close to destruction. Of course, the humans would never realize it.

Monroe was right beside her, arm over her shoulders, his breath quick and ragged. Fierce mahogany eyes burned with fury as his deep auburn locks tumbled in front of them. During her moment of insanity in Fort Lauderdale, he had kept his cool. He had searched her mind when she couldn't speak, and had comprehended the situation. Only she knew the turmoil he felt on the inside.

Thierry had called them back on Monroe's mobile, since hers was now in numerous shattered pieces in a South Florida trash can. They were to take the first flight back to Las Vegas for an emergency meeting of Circle Daybreak. He hadn't been able to send a jet, for security reasons.

They rushed out the terminal doors of the Las Vegas McCarran Airport to be greeted by Nilsson, holding open the door to a white limousine. The long-time assistant to the head of Circle Daybreak looked no older than seventeen, with his dark hair, sunglasses, and unaged face of a teenager. He almost comically looked like a CIA agent, though Tala wasn't in the mood to laugh.

Upon entering the limo, they were greeted by the dismal faces of Quinn and Rashel. Tala knew the other girl well, and had never known her to be this close to tears. Watching Rashel, her long raven hair neatly tied back, Tala could tell that she had lost her zanshin, her continuing mind. Even Quinn didn't usually show any emotion, but it was obvious he was holding turmoil and regret deep down inside himself.

The silence during the ride was deafening. About half-way to the mansion, Tala looked up at their companions. "Where were you called from?"

It was Quinn who answered, his dark eyes swirling with confusion. "We were in St. Louis, wrapping up a bounty hunter case. Our flight arrived about a half-hour before yours. Where were you guys?"

"Vacation in Fort Lauderdale." She turned her eyes on Rashel when Quinn nodded. "You weren't with the girls?"

Rashel was staring out the window, but shook her head almost imperceptibly.

And the car was hushed again. Tala leaned into Monroe, trying her hardest to keep the tears in. She knew exactly what Rashel was feeling. *If only I'd been there . . .*

  
  


Walking into the ballroom was nothing like the last time Tala had entered it. Instead of balloons and happy Daybreakers, there were clouds of cigarette smoke and melancholy Circle members. The platform had been moved to the back of the room, sans karaoke machine and spinning tables. Replacing them were chairs, occupied by Iliana, Delos, and Thierry.

Tala glanced at the passing faces as her group made their way to a table near the front. Just over a month ago every one of these people had been celebrating, happy and joyful. Now they were blank, with the exceptional few who were in tears. Even Morgead was crying. Shock swept through Tala at the sight of this. She hadn't thought it was possible for Blackthorn to cry.

Thierry was stepping up to the podium as they were taking their seats. Clearing his throat, he began his speech in a grieved tone. "I would like to thank all of you for coming today. As you all know, I've called you here to discuss a tragic day for Circle Daybreak. This morning, at approximately eleven o'clock, the Night World Council sent an attack team on our members at the Las Vegas Wet and Wild Water Park. If you've caught anything on the news, you know that surviving humans have sold video of this event to broadcasting agencies, and the truth of the Night World is being revealed to the nation. A certain home movie included the sight of people changing into birds, wolves, and large cats, as well as men and women throwing orange balls of fire or hissing with extended canines.

"This is proof that the Night World is no longer concerned with hiding. They publicly assaulted us, killing dozens of innocent bystanders, and, sadly, some of our own. I'd like to take this time to list our friends who are terribly hurt, or no longer with us.

"The following members are listed as in critical condition: Jaden Shaforth, Christina Heath, Michelle Chambers, and Mark Carter."

Tala turned her head to the scream of pain from two tables over. She saw Jade Redfern sobbing into the arms of a distraught Mary-Lynette Carter. Ash was trying to comfort both of the girls, with Rowan and Kestrel looking extremely anguished.

Thierry went on, obviously having known that outbursts like that would happen in such a time. "The following members are listed as in fair or stable condition: Sharon Hendrix, Maggie Neely, Austen Karbor, Thea Harman, Phillip North, and Cherish Weald."

Eric Ross stifled a sob from the next table, as Poppy cried uncontrollably at their own. Thierry took a few breathes, shaking his head, before he continued on. "Unfortunately, I have to read this last list. I send out my utmost sympathy to the family, friends, and companions of the following members, who are no longer with us: Jonathon Treaker, Elizabeth Wong, Winfrith Arlin, Claire Goddard, and Tai Seren. If everyone would please take a moment of silence to remember these hardworking, dearly loved and respected Circle Daybreak friends . . ."

Tala closed her eyes. She wanted to open them and find herself freshly waking from a nightmare. If she just believed and hoped hard enough . . .

But the cries and sniffling throughout the room proved the reality of the situation. She opened her eyes, turning them back to the stage as she heard a shuffling of papers.

"To make matters worse, we are currently missing two other cherished members of our team, both elemental players in the Millennium Battle. Vesta Douglas, the Fire Child which the Council wants to use as a weapon against us, and our first Wild Power, Jezebel Redfern.

"Without Jez, the Battle will be lost to us, whether we find the last Wild Power or not. And with Vesta at their use, there will be massive destruction on our hands. We have to do everything we can to find them, not only to save the world, but to save the girls themselves.

"Iliana and Delos will be taken to a location that only I am aware of. We're going to form teams to be sent out to rumored whereabouts of the Council. As for the groups currently searching for the final Wild Power, you will return to your mission at this moment. We cannot risk losing another component to the Battle. Everyone else take a five minute break, then come back here for the job assignments."

A tear finally managed to slip down Tala's cheek. So many people hurt or killed, friends of her own gone, and nothing to go on except rumors. She set her head on the table as people around her moved about. There had to be something she could do.

  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

I took a little longer than usual for this part, sorry. My kitten had a seizure and my dad has been a vindictive, irresponsible- I'll stop there. Anyway, I've been busy, to say the least, and a little out of it. But here it is. Still a little dark, but it should lighten up in the next couple of chapters . . . hopefully.

Hedge: I'm so glad you like it. Gives me faith in my ability and what I'm doing. *Sigh*

Tamashii: What can I say? Morgead is stressed and distressed. The plot is a little more strict then the last one, since I already knocked the romance part out. I hope to make this chock-full of ass-kicking goodness. =)

Forest Elfin: I hope to pull this one off as well as the last one. You seem so excited! =) Mark has yet to make it through the woods, but he made it from the bubble as a baby to what he is today.

Emmanuelle: You no like sequels? =( I'm not a big fan of them myself, but I just had to get more from these characters. But if you like it, it's all good.

  
  


Chapter Three

  
  


Monroe got up to pace, knowing it wouldn't help clear his mind. He watched as Kestrel lit a cigarette and shot glares at her older sister's disapproving rants. James was holding Poppy, reassuring her that Phil was going to be okay. Keller and Nissa were mourning over the loss of their partner without tears.

Making his way toward the front, Monroe saw Thierry sitting at the edge of the stage, head in his hands. When the other vampire noticed him, he sat up straight, carrying the expression of regret in his eyes.

"I'm sorry about Vesta." Thierry's voice was ragged and tired.

Monroe nodded, accepting the sympathy. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have seen this coming."

"I could have prevented it." Descouedres gestured at the room of people with his hand. "This is my organization. I may not have started it, but I run it now. I let down my guard and allowed two of the Wild Powers and other crucial members to go out in an open, public place. I might as well have set them on the Council's doorstep with bright red bows and a card saying, 'With regret, Thierry.'" He began to stand up. "I'm going to get this thing rolling. Go back to your soulmate, Pierson."

Monroe nodded, turning back to his table. Tala still had her head down, but he couldn't feel crying in the connection. He was so proud of her for being this strong. He told her that as he sat beside her.

She looked up with her menacing forest green eyes and an expression of determination. "I have no choice. If I break down, then I can't help. I'm determined to save Jez, and to get our little girl back."

As amazing as it was, his heart skipped a beat when she referred to Vesta as theirs. He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I know this isn't the time to get mushy, but I love you so much, Tala."

"I love you, too, you big sappy bloodsucker." He relaxed when he felt her giggle.

He pulled back as he heard Thierry address the room. "Under the circumstances, all other missions will be canceled at this time." Groans rose from the room. "I know it's disappointing, but the main focus here is to save the girls and to find the last Wild Power. Yes, we're dedicated to helping everyone in the Night World that needs it, that's true, but it makes more sense to save the world than sacrifice it on less."

Monroe had never heard Thierry talk in such a manner. Letting other people suffer? It did make sense, he had to agree, but it still didn't seem like something the head of Daybreak would say.

"If the occasion arises that someone is in desperate need of help, I'll send out a back up team. In the meantime, I'm going to separate all of you into four different groups. One group will be in search of the girls, the next will be looking for the Wild Power. The two other groups will be filled with alternates, in the event of something going wrong. This will be our research team and a group to go and protect the current Wild Powers.

"All soulmates will be paired together to be more productive, so if you hear your partner named, that includes yourself." He began to list off the people going to the new safe house. Of course, some weren't too happy with the results. "Finally, Lupe Acevedo, Torri Lamant, and Morgead Blackthorn."

"Bullshit!" A scuffling began, and Monroe jumped up to help Ash hold down the outraged vampire as a chair flew through the air and toward the platform. Thierry ducked quickly out of the way as Delos carelessly reached out and grabbed the flying object before it could crash into Iliana.

"And it's reason like that," Thierry said, stepping back up to the microphone, "That you're not going out for the search, Morgead."

Monroe and Ash were struggling as James and Quinn came to aid. Morgead was not happy. "That's my damn soulmate that got kidnaped! I'm not just going to sit around on my ass while she could be killed!"

"If you go, you're likely to become irrational, like you are at this moment. We cannot let you risk the mission by letting your personal feelings get involved. You will stay and keep that rage in the chance that someone tries to attack these two." Thierry pointed at the two people on the stage, Iliana still a little stricken from her near pain experience.

Seeing that Morgead wasn't going to calm down anytime soon, he motioned for Nilsson and a few other assistants to remove him from the meeting. "On to our research team. This squad will work in the new safe house, pulling up information on possible tracks to the Council, looking through more of the prophecies, and adding as extra protection in case of an attack." He read through the names quickly as Monroe made it back to his seat. "The heads of this team will be James Rasmussen, Poppy North, Monroe Pierson, and Tala Acevedo."

Monroe jumped back as the chair next to him clattered to the ground. He was prepared to tackle her like he had Morgead, though Tala seemed a little more controlled. "No! Not research!"

Thierry ran a hand over his face, as if trying to wipe away the aggravation of the past day. "The same goes for you two as for Morgead. You're personally tied to the mission, therefore creating risk-"

"Then put us on the Wild Power search team! There's no way you're going to have me sitting behind a desk and running everyone on research like some underpaid office manager!" She slammed her fist on the table to emphasize her frustration. Monroe just shook his head. His soulmate's mouth was running away with her . . . again. She shot him a glare, obviously having heard that thought.

Thierry's eyes held a quiet annoyance, but he kept his voice low and even as he spoke. "I hate to break this to you, but you are one of the only people in this room with a college degree, in English Literature, non-the-less. You're most of the way through grad school, and have one of the highest IQ's in the state of Florida. You're a thinker *and* a fighter, therefore better able to strategize and protect, just like James. I don't think I need to tell you that you happen to be the best qualified person in Circle Daybreak to do the job. Monroe and Poppy have enhanced psychic abilities from their vampire blood, making your job that much easier. I picked the right team, and there's no arguing. You will do as you're told, or you will do nothing at all. Understood?"

"Dammit!" She kicked the already beaten chair. Picking it up, she put it back in position with table and sat down, giving in on the argument. Monroe was almost afraid to be as close to her as he was. She'd kicked his ass before, he didn't want a repeat performance.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Sorry if this seems a little offbeat. Tala kinda wrote herself, here. Heh. Massive props and thanks go out to Hedge, who accidently gave me the plot to this story. She's so damn cool . . .

Tamashii: Don't you think they've had enough ass-kicking between them? =)

Emmanuelle: You're not twisted. Hell, I'm the one who wrote it! LoL.

Hedge: You like my details. *Blush* They're still not as good as yours, but they'll due. =)

  
  


Chapter Four

  
  


Tala slammed the stack of yellowed papers on her new desk, coughing as dust swirled through the air. Fanning away as much as she could, she sat to her loathed task, shuffling the illegible parchments. "I took English, not Latin. What the Hell am I supposed to do with these?"

Poppy gently took the compositions from her hands. "You're supposed to assign them to the people who can decipher this junk."

"Am I ever going to get some real work?" Tala leaned back in her seat, adjusting her hair into a ponytail. Sure, she liked bossing people around as much as the next dictator, but she was *bored.*

"James should be back any minute with the first set of translated material. You can look through them and put the words into actual sentences, rather than the jumble that they've turned out to be." Poppy sat at the desk next to Tala's and pulled out the assignment list. "These can go to Sraddha. She hasn't had a Latin one to work with yet, and that's her forté."

"Fine," Tala grumbled, snatching the papers back. She stalked out of their office and down the hallway to the grunt room, as she liked to put it. She bumped into Monroe as he was walking out. Mumbling an apology, she began to push past him.

She calmed a little when he pressed his lips against her own. Relaxing as he pulled away, she looked into his eyes. "What was that for?"

He gave her a sly grin. "You looked like you needed it." He placed another kiss on her forehead and continued through the hall.

"Dammit. What did he have to go and do that for?" she muttered to herself. She put the documents into the correct box and moved to return to the office when she crashed into Eric. "Excuse me, I didn't see you there."

He carried a slight smile on his face and waved off her apology. "It's okay, you're pretty busy."

She nodded, holding back the need to roll her eyes at the idea of being busy. "How's Thea doing?"

"Really good. She still has to stay in observation for the next twenty-four hours, but she'll be here to work in no time."

"That's really good to hear." She began her trip to her desk again, trying to avoid discussing the injured members any further. Deep inside, she felt partially responsible for not being there for them.

Unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky. "Did you hear about Mark?"

She turned back to him, plastering an interested expression on her face. "No, I haven't. How is he?"

"He's been moved up to stable condition. It looks good, he's going to make it." The boy in front of her was smiling excessively, as if he couldn't contain the happiness he received from the knowledge that no more of their fellow Daybreakers had passed on.

She outwardly gave a sigh of relief. "Excellent. We all knew he would, considering what he went through after he was born and all. Inside, he's a fighter."

Finally managing to get away, she ducked into the room containing her partners. She sighed as she sat back and glared at the blank area on her desk. "I take it Thierry hasn't had anything for us to 'strategize?'" She used her fingers to note quotation marks when she said the word.

James shrugged. "Nothing yet. We've only been here a day, Tala. He's probably still sending out the first two teams."

She stood up, irritated, beginning to pace the room. "Has it only been a day? This is so *monotonous*! Sitting in a stuffy little space, going through ancient visions that have been delved an umpteen amount of times, when we could be out there," she pointed toward the one tiny window in the room, "helping out and kicking some Night World ass!"

Monroe stood, grabbing her arm and forcing her toward the door. "Excuse us for a minute, please."

Stumbling out of the office, she caught herself on a wall. She turned a glare on him as she opened her mouth.

But the words came out of his. "What the Hell is your deal?"

"*My* deal?" She stomped her foot, exasperated. "You're the one throwing me into the hallway!" She watched as he ran a hand through his beautiful auburn hair. *Oh wait, I'm mad.* She shook her head, waiting for him to answer.

"We get the point, Tala. You don't want to be on this mission. Quit whining about it! I'd give almost anything to be out there finding Vesta or going after the final link to the Battle, but you don't hear me bitching. I'm sucking it up and doing my job, like a good little Daybreaker. I suggest you do the same, since complaining will get you no where, except on our nerves."

She stood, mouth agape. Did he just talk to her like she thought he did? "Well, I'm sorry I'm such an inconvenience to you guys."

"Don't you dare start on a guilt trip, because I'm not falling for it." He put his hands on his hips. "You know I don't think you're a nuisance. To quote some good advice that someone once gave me, 'You need to get your head into this.' If this is going to help the Circle, then we need to do our best, because I'll be damned if I'm going to let the Night World win because we want to be doing something else."

She *really* hated it when he was right. Eating her words, she sighed and nodded her head. "Your right. I guess I'm still really upset that all of this is actually happening. I'm sorry for acting selfish. You're not mad at me, are you?" She heard the worry that tinged her voice.

He rolled his eyes, a tired grin creasing his lips. "I can't seem to get mad at you, my little brat."

She fell into his embrace, trying to let down her guard, if only for a minute. She was so tired. Some caffeine would help . . . or maybe a fight . . .

She jumped when someone cleared their throat from behind her. So much for letting down her guard.

"I hate to interrupt," Thierry's voice rang through the empty corridor, "but I think I should start the orientation for your team."

Tala felt colors rush to her cheeks. "Sorry. I'll go get Poppy and James, then we can meet in the grunt room."

"The *what*?" Then he shook his head, holding up a hand. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

She turned back to get the others as Monroe lead Thierry into the working area, his mental laugh echoing in her head.

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

*Comes out of her writer's block corner* Heh . . . Hi everyone . . . hope you're not mad. I got a really bad case of block, so I couldn't work on this for the life of me. Anyway, here goes the next chapter. It's kinda short, but the next part should be up in a couple of days. R&R, yell @ me for taking so long, throw heavy blunt objects toward the monitor, whatever you feel is appropriate. 'Bye!!

  
  


Chapter Five

  
  


Tala found herself back at her desk after the meeting. Thierry hadn't stayed long, only to tell them the details of their work. She was currently editing one of the prophecies, trying to make it coherent. It didn't really make any sense, no matter how she constructed it. It had something to do with a wilted flower, the color of water. What was that supposed to mean? Water didn't have any color.

She turned to her colleagues for their opinion. Poppy turned her head to the side, red curls splashing around her tiny face. "Maybe it means the color of the ocean. Blue or blue-green."

James sat up from his seat. "But it says the flower is wilted. Shouldn't that make it brown or black, lacking in color?"

"What else is that prophecy about?" Monroe rolled his chair up to Tala's desk, glancing at the paper in her hand.

"The title translated to 'leadership.'" She flipped through the pages. "And something about the dark-side is brought up a lot."

"Maybe it's about the new head of the Council," James said mildly. "With Hunter gone, they have to replace him."

"I'd say the same thing," Tala sighed, "but it also says something about blood kin, an immediate relative. Hunter doesn't have any of those left. Lily was taken out by Jez, Garnet's been gone for years, Dove died right in front of Quinn *centuries* ago, leaving the last daughter, who was raised as a witch. She'd have passed a long time ago."

Poppy had a small pout on her face. "Maybe it's confused. Maybe the person who had the vision had expected Lily to still be alive."

Monroe picked up the original document gingerly, trying not to break off any of the fragile pieces. "Then that would be saying that it was wrong. None of the prophecies have ever been incorrect. Maybe there's just a mistranslation in here somewhere. I'm going to have someone else look this over again, just to make sure."

Tala watched him leave the room as she went to the next assignment. Before she could zone back into her concentration, however, there was a huge crash from down the hall. She jumped up eagerly, adrenaline filling her veins. She rushed out of the room with James close behind her . . .

Only to sigh with disappointment.

Underneath a dog-pile of Daybreak agents was a very frustrated Morgead. "Get offa me!" His voice was muffled. "I just wanted to go for a walk."

"Toward the exit doors, we noticed." This came for a lithe, towheaded guy. He was picking Morgead up from the floor. "Funny how you ran when we called your name."

Monroe halted to a stop as he came out of the work room. "What's going on here?"

Another boy with striking green eyes and jet-black hair answered. "Seems Mister Blackthorn here was trying to make a break for it. Must not like the lack of amusement down in the Wild Power wing."

Tala laughed, shaking her head as she picked up the lunch cart and the woman who had been pushing it. "Poor Morgead."

This caused a glare from the dark and handsome vampire. "I don't want to hear it from you, wolf. You don't want to be here as much as I do."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, I was told to deal. If you want, you can help us with the educational department? That is, if you ever did learn how to read."

Tala jumped back as his arm reached out to snatch her. The blond jock grabbed him before he could try for a second go.

Monroe pulled her back, with a stern look that was ruined by the smirk in his eyes. "Don't go and start any trouble."

She shrugged her shoulders as Morgead was lead away and they headed towards the office again. "I just needed to get something out of my system. I'll be good for the next couple of hours." She gave him a sly grin.

He smacked her hand playfully, sending shivers up her spine. "Bad Tala."

She was shocked to see a new face as she turned into the door. A pretty witch with dangerously long, wavy hair the color of dark chocolate stood by her desk, a familiar parchment in her hands.

"How can I help you?" Tala asked nicely, with only a small tinge of suspicion in her greeting. She couldn't help but smile, though. The girl reminded her of Mother Cybele in figure and in spirit. She was a cheery, well-fleshed young women no older than sixteen.

The girl nodded her head, her burnt-bronze eyes glowing with knowledge. "My name is Rhiannon Lucna. Monroe just gave me this prophecy to translate. "She held up the papers in her hand. "And the previous translation is correct."

Tala sighed, circling her now-crowded desk to retrieve her chair from James. "Well, looks like we're back to square one. It's gibberish."

"Actually," Rhiannon added shyly, "I had an idea of what it could mean."

Monroe offered her a chair. "Please, enlighten us."

Sitting, she looked between the members of the office. "It has to do with Hunter Redfern's daughter."

Poppy gave the younger girl a polite smile. "We thought of that, but it can't be. All of his daughters are gone."

"Not according to this. It states that one is still alive, despite all previous knowledge."

James leaned across the table he was seated behind. "So Lily isn't really dead?"

Tala began to sip from her bottle of water as Rhiannon went on. "Not Lily. The one raised without him. Roseclear."

Unintentionally, Tala sprayed everyone with the water in her mouth. She coughed, heat coming to her face. "You have got to be kidding me."

She turned to see Monroe with the shock she was feeling on his face. "Looks like we've got trouble on our hands."


	6. Chapter 6

So, the response was pretty good for that last chapter. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. I'd respond individually, but I have studying to do for a test I have to take @ my new job tomorrow, plus there are a zillion fanfics that my friends are working on that I've neglected to read in the past few updates. ~Bad Soraia~ Anyway, enjoy! A little bit of humor and a smidgen of excitement. I like it, if I do say so myself, even if it is a small chappie.

  
  


Chapter Six

  
  


Tala once again found herself hanging upside-down in a chair behind her desk. The only difference this time was that she wasn't in her normal office in Key West. She didn't actually know where she was. Each person had been brought in unconscious, so as to keep the location disclosed, and wards had been placed around the building to keep the weak minds from being tapped through telepathic intrusion.

She assumed it was also to prevent any possible insider spies from contacting the outside world. She only thought this due to the fact that she and the other heads in each department had been told to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior.

The vampires had gone out to feed, and Rhiannon was off on her own five minute break, leaving Tala to her own devices. Scary thought, yes, but there wasn't much damage she could do, especially in her slowly fatiguing mental state. She hadn't slept much in the past few days, and they had all stayed up the whole night going over several different prophecies, trying to discover more proof of the new Council leader.

Rhiannon came in the door and smiled. She had been promoted to a position in their already cramped office, due to her vast knowledge of all things Night World related. She had half of the parchments memorized and could translate in almost three different languages.

Tala decided to use this to open conversation until the rest of the crew came back. "So how do you know so much about the Night World and Circle Daybreak, if you don't mind me asking?"

Rhiannon was looking at a computer monitor. "I've read all of the Night World books."

Raising an eyebrow, Tala leaned her head a little to see the other girl. "Excuse me? What books?" Night World books? Who would write books about the Night World?

Tala was distracted by the smells of her friends. She gracefully flipped from her position in the chair and landed on her feet just as they turned the corner into the office. "Welcome back."

James took his seat and sifted a pile of papers. "Let's go through what we have so far."

Poppy began ticking through items, holding up her fingers as she went through them. "One says that Roseclear is actually alive, heading the Council as a vampire, one is about family revenge, which we can only assume has to do with her, as well. Another is about a mysterious location, but we have to read into it a little more so that we can figure out where it is. Oh, and there's the parchment we found on the foundation of the Council, though I doubt that will help us much."

Rhiannon cleared her throat. "We should still study it, see if there's any clues on how they run their organization."

James looked over at her. "You must have been pretty good at word puzzles as a kid, huh?"

Tala stretched her arms above her head, giving out a slight yawn. "I guess this is good enough to report to Thierry. I'll go make the call."

Monroe grabbed her hand as she passed by his desk. "You go take a nap, you need it. I can call him."

She smiled gently and nodded. "Okay. I'll come back in two hours, how's that?"

Everyone in the room agreed. She gave Monroe a light kiss on the forehead and left them, stumbling out into the bright hallway. The sun had already begun to rise, letting rays of light stream into the building.

Trying not to focus on the dust mites floating through the air and rather on her walking, she turned through the maze of corridors in the safehouse. Her senses were beginning to falter. She couldn't even smell the security of her room from this close by.

She was almost to her destination when a wave of darkness swept into her mind.

She landed heavily on her knees, putting her hand to the wall to prevent from collapsing. *Now that's never happened before.* There was no way lack of sleep could have caused that. It had been some sort of telepathic energy, like a shockwave that had rattled her to the bones. It ripped almost all of what was left of the already lacking energy in her body. Her foot slipped as she tried to stand again, shaking her coordination.

As a natural defense, her body was already beginning to change. She tried to balance herself as the next, unsuspected mental punch came at her, blowing her hair and fur in all different directions around her torso. Falling on her hands as they transformed into paws, she tried to keep her body up through the pain that surged her mind. She was only able to catch a glimpse of eyes the color of emeralds when the final wave hit her, throwing her on the ground, unconscious.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

            Monroe's heart faltered. It was only for a second, but he knew what it meant. Before he could catch what he was saying, the words fell out of his mouth. "Oh my goddess, Tala."

            Thierry's voice on the other end of the phone seemed confused. "Monroe, what are you talking about? What does Tala have to do with Roseclear? Monroe? Monroe!"

            Monroe ignored the elder and dropped the mobile. Poppy ran into the hallway at the sound of the phone hitting the ground. "What's the matter?"

            He just looked at her, mouth agape, completely unsure of what to do. All he could feel was the swirling darkness that surrounded Tala's mind. It left him completely numb, unable to do a thing. When she had finally blacked-out, he could suddenly react. "Tala." He choked. "Something happened to her."

            Even as Poppy began to ask how, he turned and ran full force toward Tala's room. He heard two sets of feet speeding behind him, keeping up with his pace. He turned the corners by memory, too quick to think about them. As they neared the final hallway, he heard the clang of double doors closing.

            The sound gave him the extra push needed to finish the distance in a flash. He slammed through the doors in time to see a black vehicle driving away, kicking up dust in its tracks.

            He fell to his knees, tears stinging his eyes in the harsh morning daylight. He couldn't believe this had happened again. Someone had grabbed her when he was only so far away, and driven off before he could get to her. The only difference between this time and the last was that neither Tala's keys nor her car where right before him. There wasn't even another vehicle nearby to use. He was left completely unable to do a thing.

            The tears hit the dirt as Poppy's hand touched his shoulder. James helped him up, and they headed back into the building. He had no clue what to do.

            Slowly, reluctantly, Tala's senses were coming back to her. First was the sensation of her body. She felt as though she had been floating in the darkness for hours, when suddenly her whole body convulsed with pain. Bitter shivers and pinpricks of menace crept through her arms and legs. With the pain came thought, and, what seemed like an _eternity_ later, sound began to reach her.

            A radio played in the distance, some form of death metal that she wasn't quite fond of. The sound of passing vehicles . . . of traffic! She was near some large road. If it hadn't been torture, she'd attempt to open her eyes.

            The music moved closer, as well as the sound of humming. An awareness of motion overcame Tala, adding to her senses a feeling of nausea. With that, she found that moving wasn't such a hard task, and she reached her hand until it came in contact with a wall of leather.

            _Who is humming?_ she thought to herself. She began to piece together the events that had led up to now. Blackness, pain, mental power, emerald eyes . . .

            Her mouth spat out the name before her eyes opened to see the man himself. "Dammit, Morgead!"

            A crude smile formed across the vampire's face as he turned his head to look at her. He was behind the wheel of what seemed to be a very nice, very _stolen_, Daybreak sedan. "'Morning, Sunshine."

            "What do you think you're doing?" she shrieked. The volume of her own voice added unneeded pressure to her growing migraine. She fell back into her seat, trying to focus on the road in front of the car.

            "Come on, Tala. Of all people, I would imagine you'd know what we're doing." He looked back out the window.

            "You say 'we' as if this was planned and I had gone _willingly_." She rolled her eyes, which, as suspected, hurt like Hell. "Let me guess, you want to save Jez, so you broke out? If you could clue me in as to why I've been taken hostage, I'd really appreciate it."

            "I knew you wouldn't come 'willingly,' so I had to use my own form of persuasion."

            "I don't want to be a part of this, Morgead. Everyone is going to assume that I went voluntarily." She was amazed by the lack of conviction in her voice. Tala rubbed her neck, while attempting to stretch out her back.

            "I need your help, Tala." It was obvious that the statement took great strength for Morgead to admit. "You have an intellect and power that will help control my rage if the situation gets tight."

            She sighed heavily. "Let's say I go along with this. How do you plan on finding them?"

            "I can sense her."

            Tala was shocked. "They're that close?"

            "No, she's being hurt!" he shouted angrily. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Whenever your soulmate is being hurt, in a severe, _torturous_ way, the connection can go great distances. They're nowhere nearby, but I can follow this. I just hope to the goddess that nothing else happens before we can get there."

            Tala watched him closely as he spoke. The tear that rolled down his cheek was the final nail in the coffin. "I hope you know what you're doing, Morgead. I'm in."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

After making a compromise on the music, Tala read road signs until she determined where they were. It took two minutes to conclude that they were on Interstate 40 heading West, another thirty seconds to determine that they were in Arizona. It wasn't for another twenty minutes that she realized exactly where in the state she was.

"That sign says 'Now leaving Coconino County,'" Morgead read. "Does that help any?"

Sitting silently, Tala played with the name in her mind, trying to remember why it sounded familiar. Suddenly it clicked. "We're outside of Flagstaff! If I remember correctly, you can take US 93 North up here and head to Las Vegas—"

"Not where we're going."

"—Right. Okay, well, this eventually takes us most of the way to Los Angeles, to Barstow, I think." She looked around the sedan awkwardly, trying to think of something helpful to say.

Instead, Morgead spoke. "Can you explain to me how it is you know all of this information? I mean, you're from Florida, right?"

"I will, as long as you tell me how we managed to get out of the safe house. That place should be guarded better than Fort Knox, yet you obviously got through quite easily."

Morgead gave a deep sigh. Not of frustration or relief, but one of extreme exhaustion. "While you guys were up studying last night, I was walking the halls, listening in on conversations and studying guard placements. I brought Nilsson with me, for conversation and to distract the other guards of what my actual intentions were. Plus, with him there, they were less likely to tackle me." He stopped to rolled his eyes. "I managed to overhear Nilsson talking to another guy about a shift switch, and developed a plan to break out then. I built up my power through the night until the proposed switch. When Nilsson went to take his place guarding the doors this morning, I hit him, harder than you got. He happened to be the _only_ person in the building that had access to the house's _only_ car, so I slipped his key and ran for it.

"You were a last minute decision. I came across you in the hallway, saw how tired you were and knew you'd been up all night with the group. I had been worried that I, alone, would do nothing but get myself killed, but with _you_, I might have a chance at getting out half-alive."

"I was already weak, so you used what was left to hit me those two times," Tala concluded. "If you could do me a favor next time and just hit me with a silver bat? It tends to hurt a little less." She groaned as she adjusted her position in the seat, to emphasize her point.

"As for knowing the area," she continued, "I have cousins in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. I've taken my share of vacations on this side of the country, and when you travel Interstate 40 a few times, you get familiar with where it ends up."

"Are they law-abiding Night Worlders, or ever-faithful Daybreak cousins?"

"Daybreak, of course." She eyed him cautiously. "Don't get any ideas, Blackthorn. Allies or not, we can't bring anyone else into this. It puts them in the line of fire, not to mention pinpoints us to a location. We can't let anyone know where we are, whether Night World or Daybreak, because I imagine both groups would love to get their paws on us. No pun intended." She looked down at her own hands. "That means _nobody_ . . . not even Monroe." Her heart pulled inside her chest at the thought of how distressed he probably was at that moment.

Morgead nodded. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"You kidnap me and _I'm_ the one who has to make the plans." She let out an aggravated sigh. Slowly, she began developing an idea. "Well, we have very limited options. If they're doing horrible things to her, then no time can be wasted. We can't take time to stop and rest, only enough to eat and fuel. I'd suggest sleeping during the travel, since you haven't slept since who knows when, but you're the one navigating this trip. Tight situation here. I don't want to drive us three hours toward San Francisco when I should be heading for Butte, Montana."

"Well, I can't exactly sleep." He took a deep, ragged breath. "Her pain is throbbing through my mind. It's not constant, but the anxiety of not knowing when it will come again keeps me on the edge of my seat."

Tala looked out the window, trying to push aside the ideas of what kind of distress Monroe was going through right now, not knowing where she was. "Then I'll take over driving and you can just sit here, directing me where to turn, and hopefully they aren't more than a day or two's distance away."

As Morgead pulled onto the next off-ramp, Tala tried to push away the guilt that filled her mind. She wanted to let Monroe know what happened, wanted to tell him that she was okay and let him know where she was. She hoped he wasn't sick with worry. And more than anything else, she hoped that Monroe would not be mad at her when this was all over.


End file.
